Since arrival I have not been doing well medically. I started coughing more overnight and the treatments I was taking were ineffective for more than a handful of minutes. Given the high local concentration of medical students, medical residents, internists and surgeons, it seemed possible to get some advice. I was advised to start a potent steroid intravenously (I was already taking one by mouth). This is a new high (low?)-water mark for my asthma. After a number of attempts to keep an IV in, we seem to be successful as of Friday morning.
The reason for this deterioration appears to be a small pneumonia as I woke up with signs and symptoms thereof (I will spare you the details). The coughing is so paroxysmal and frequent that I am pretty much in constant
abdominal pain. On consultation with George Faile M.D. he has given me antibiotics, continued the steroids, put me at rest at the bunkhouse and 48 hours to get my act together; if I persist in my transgressions I will go home.
Dear friends, visitors and family. I would covet your prayers for my healing, recovery and alleviation of pain. More to the point, I ask that you pray for my faithfulness at this time, my patience (never in great supply) and a witness be derived from these circumstances.
That having been said and the substance of things hoped for communicated to you, I will go on to other matters. The pediatric patients are divided into several groups: the acutely ill, the malnourished, the isolated and the newborns. The acutely ill are a hodge-podge of surgical and medical patients; mostly with malaria, burns, fractures, pneumonias, and parasites. The malnourished are handled by a feeding station run by Joanna, a medical assistant (nurse with additional training). It is one of my goals to become a best buddy and indispensible to this good soul before I leave. Just in passing I found a 11 month old who has not gained weight in 7 months. Mom is still breast-feeding; very curious and I have my concerns. I had difficulty pushing together enough baby to fit under my tiniest stethoscope in order to listen to his lungs. The newborns are also mostly relegated to mid-wife care as patients are admitted and discharged dead without much input from a doc. We shall see. The isolation ward is generally more airy but fetid with the smell of open wounds and phenol antiseptic. There we find tropical ulcers, Burulli ulcers (a particular nasty requiring wide excision to heal) and TB.
Please keep ALL the patients at
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